With midterms coming to a close and a spooky spirit in the air, Hofstra students donned their masks and makeup, their wigs and wings for all the festivities of Halloweekend. After two nights and attending five different frat parties, the range of costumes on display spanned from anime to angels and everything else in between. The most recurring costumes yielded a general look at what everyone was wearing this weekend.
Couples and Group Costumes
By far, the most popular group costume this year arose from the popular party game “kiss, marry, kill.” Trios showed out in their hottest red, white or black outfits respectively. “Kiss” appeared with lipstick kiss marks on their skin, “marry” often held flowers, and “kill” tastefully smeared blood on their skin and carried a fake knife.
Comparatively, the most frequent couples costume sprung from the largest worldwide film release of 2023, “Barbie.” Couples wore any of the numerous matching Barbie and Ken costumes from the film, including the incredibly popular cowgirl and rollerblading outfits. With bright colors and flashy silhouettes, any Barbie and Ken at the party was noticed by all.
Fairies and other creatures
Year after year, girls scour their closets for their most whimsical outfits and grab their wings to pretend to be fairies for the night. Apart from their pretty costumes, fairies always make their presence known at parties by swiping each passerby in the face with their plastic wings. All jokes aside, fairies remain a popular costume for those looking for a delicate and magical outfit for the night.
In the same vein, many students chose to dress in all white with a halo for a classic angel costume. However, this year, dark angels wearing all black outweighed the classic trope. Their counterparts, devils, of course made their appearance wearing either red or black with horns to match.
Party animals
Everyone knows the first costume of this section: cats. Throw on some cat ears and call it a day for this classic but cute costume. From black cats to cheetahs to tigers, cats were found in every corner of the party dancing the night away. Additionally, due to the simplicity of the costume, many students wore stunning outfits to match.
The fluffy friends do not end there. Bunnies showed out in every form wearing ears of every color. Whether the costume aimed for a endearing outfit, an alluring aesthetic, or portrayed White Rabbit from “Alice in Wonderland,” each depiction remained distinctive and captivating.
A trendier option this year presented itself with a cow costume. Equal parts adorable and simple, all who chose this option enjoyed the night being eye-catching and incredibly cute. With a white and black spotted outfit or a straightforward cow onesie, this costume is never mistaken for another.
Police, Prisoners, Etc.
Every party had its fair share of law enforcement and their targets with the widespread nature of police, prisoner, and swat team costumes. Unique to many other costumes mentioned, these outfits appeared equally between all genders, with large friend groups all dressed in these uniforms being a common sight throughout the weekend. In the end, whether dressed as a cop or criminal, the last thing any student wants to see on Halloween are real police cars pulling up.
Miscellaneous
The remaining costumes unfortunately do not fall into a cute subcategory but appeared commonly, nonetheless. Without fail, the classic skull makeup paired with a black outfit shows up year after year. Arguably one of the best costumes, the creativity and artistic skill necessary for the elaborate makeup goes without saying.
Similar to the previous section, many students’ chosen profession for the night was a construction worker. With neon vests and hard hats, these upstanding citizens stood out in the dim lighting of every party.
A common – but classic – costume sauntered into the night in cowboy boots and a rugged hat. Occasionally paired with a cow costume duo, cowboys showed up with equal parts confidence and charm in their western-inspired outfits.
Last but certainly not least, Pitbull made several appearances throughout the weekend. Whether getting down to “Timber,” “Hotel Room Service,” or “International Love,” all Pitbulls thrived in the spotlight and transformed into the life of any party. Bald caps and aviator sunglasses played the most central, recognizable role in this outfit, but even without, the Pitbull energy was obvious in the room.
My Costumes
As a final note, my costumes over two nights consisted of Starfire from Teen Titans and Tricky from Subway Surfers to match with a friend who dressed as Jake. With Starfire’s distinct purple outfit and bright pink hair, dressing as her set me over six feet in my boots and stained some of my hair pink to this day, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. As for Tricky, a red beanie and pigtails mark her signature traits, which proves to effectively cover sweaty and tangled hair in the frats. All jokes aside, the Halloweekend parties provided a cheerful and spirited break from all the studying and work students have been doing the past few weeks.
To conclude, whether students showed up as Barbie, a bunny, or Pitbull, Hofstra University knew how to have a good time this Halloweekend. The popular costumes of the weekend displayed the students’ style and spirit on the warm nights leading up to Halloween day.